DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis Men's Soccer's Jason Hsu and former Aggie Derrek Chan recently had the distinct honor of representing their country, Chinese Taipei, during the Asian Football Confederation's World Cup Qualifiers, bringing Aggie Pride to the international stage.

"Incredible achievement by both Jason and Derrek. Both have worked very hard to put themselves in a position to play the game of soccer at the highest level in the world. The UC Davis Men's Soccer program is excited to support their continued efforts," states Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer.

The pair of Aggies were two of the 23 players named to the Chinese Taipei squad. Chinese Taipei was one of 36 teams competing in round two of the AFC Qualifiers.
 
Hsu, a redshirt sophomore this past season, played a key defensive midfield position, seeing action in 19 games during the Aggies' 2023 run that concluded with a Big West Championship Final appearance.
 
Chan, who made 16 appearances during his Aggie career, recorded 45 saves and tallied four shutouts, with most of those numbers occurring in his final season in the Blue and Gold in 2021.
 
As a team, Chinese Taipei started the qualifiers strong, advancing through round one with a commanding pair of shutouts over Timor-Leste.
 
After posting a 2-0 record in the round one stage, Chinese Taipei moved on to round two and was placed in Group D, with Malaysia, Oman, and the Kyrgyz Republic, eventually being eliminated from qualifying for the World Cup.
 
Despite a challenging group stage, Chinese Taipei will conclude play on Tuesday, June 11, facing off against Malaysia.

"It's an honor to represent my heritage and be able to learn from experienced players and coaches. My UC Davis teammates, coaches and my family have given me the confidence and support to grasp this opportunity. I hope to be able to continue represent Taiwan and bring back a few things to help UC Davis win a Big West title this fall," shared Jason Hsu with a sense of pride and anticipation for the future.
 
For more information on UC Davis Men's Soccer, stay tuned to ucdavisaggies.com.